Tennessee Titans GM Ran Carthon Off to a Great Start with 2023 Rookie Draft Class

The Tennessee Titans have gotten significant contributions from their rookie draft class this season, especially on offense and as we approach Week 15, it is clear that first-year general manager Ran Carthon is off to a great start.

The Tennessee Titans just pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the NFL season against the Miami Dolphins in Week 14. In the process they got major contributions from some of their rookies, especially on the offensive side of the ball. 

Four players from the 2023 draft class were starters in the Titans' miraculous comeback. 

• Second-round pick Will Levis made incredible throws to lead the Titans to two scoring drives to go ahead. He finished with 327 yards. The highest for a rookie in Monday Night Football history.
• Third-round pick Tyjae Spears caught multiple passes on the final two drives giving the Titans quick chunks of yardage on easy throws. Spears had 118 total yards on 13 touches.
• First-round pick Peter Skoronski and sixth-round pick Jaelyn Duncan manned the left side of the offensive line and were a part of a group that only gave up one sack on the night. This is against a Dolphins' pass rush that deploys Christian Wilkins and Bradley Chubb.

The two remaining draft picks are fifth-rounder Josh Whyle and seventh-rounder Colten Dowell. Dowell has become a staple on the Titans special teams units and Whyle has shown promise throughout the year even if he is currently unavailable due to injury. 

Even if the late round picks of Whyle, Duncan and Dowell don't turn into starters, the first three picks look to be building blocks. That will make it even sweeter if any of those three turn into consistent contributors or legitimate starters as well.

The players deserve their credit, but there is someone else who deserve some recognition at this stage and it is first-year general manager Ran Carthon. Carthon took over the team in January and had to know that his first order of business was to fix this team's recent history in the draft.

A look at the Titans' last three draft classes under former general manager Jon Robinson drives that home. Most players are either not on the team, making zero impact or are players the team needs to replace immediately.

It is no secret that Robinson's failures in the draft hurt this team and helped to close the window that Derrick Henry, Ryan Tannehill and Robinson's other biggest mistake, A.J. Brown, helped open. Hitting on cheap, but good players in the draft is the lifeblood to any sustained success in the NFL.

So here comes Carthon, with an acumen for drafting based on previous experience, but under immense pressure due to his predecessor's failures. Despite that, it appears that Carthon not only did well, but found some pillars for the future of this team.

Levis currently has the highest passer rating of any second-round rookie passer since 1967 according to the Tennessee Titans. If you showed Titans fans the highlights of Monday's comeback win back in March of this year, they would've traded more than a future third for whoever that quarterback was.

Courtesy Tennessee Titans

Spears and Skoronski look to be solid starters going forward at running back and left guard, respectively. Duncan has gotten three starts so far, and has shown improvements.

While still having the struggles you'd expect from a late-round rookie, the truth is, Duncan has played just as well as Nicholas Petit-Frere or free agent Andre Dillard at left tackle. Duncan can at least be counted on as a solid backup in future seasons and someone who may even compete to start on an improved line.

Josh Whyle has made plays for this team in the passing game this year even if in a limited role. Whyle has nine catches for 94 yards and one touchdown. As a depth tight end who can work in a rotational role, he is a solid find in the fifth-round.

Even Colten Dowell has begun to make an impact. Dowell' special teams ability even forced the Titans to make 2022's fifth-round pick Kyle Philips a healthy scratch in back-to-back games recently. Dowell isn't a sure thing to be on next year's team, but at least he is doing something.

Obviously, the attention is on the drafted rookies on the offensive side of the ball, but the Titans have deployed rookies all over the field on all three phases this year. Almost any rankings of teams based on rookie snaps will have the Titans at the top of the list.

Carthon will need to be better in free agency this March, but with the most projected cap space in the NFL and a lot healthier financial situation than the Titans had last year, you would think Carthon could find some reliable pieces at positions of need. More DeAndre Hopkins, less Andre Dillard you could say.

Regardless, Carthon deserves his credit because this is the most productive rookie class we have seen in some time and if Levis continues to develop, it could be one of the best classes in Titans' history. Either way, a very good start for Carthon, with more work to do.

Related Titans stories

• WEEK 15 INJURY REPORT: The Tennessee Titans take on the Houston Texans for the first time this season this Sunday and both teams will begin their week of preparation with a lengthy injury list. CLICK HERE
• WEEK 14 TITAN UP-TITAN DOWN: The Tennessee Titans pulled off a miraculous comeback win against the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football and when we you win a game like that, there will always be plenty of standout performances, but also some reason why you needed to comeback in the first place. CLICK HERE
• GAME STORY: The Tennessee Titans scored twice in the final two-plus minutes to stun the Miami Dolphins 28-27 on Monday night, winning on the road for the first time in more than a year. Rookie Will Levis led the charge with a career-high 327 passing yards in the record-breaking win. CLICK HERE